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29 March 2024

Ramee eyes high-end hotels

Published
By Waheed Abbas

Dubai-based Ramee Group of Hotels and Resorts is looking for high-end properties in the UAE and other Gulf states for lease or management,said a senior company official.

Raj Shetty, Chairman and Managing Director of Ramee Hotels, said the group will offer partners guaranteed capital returns for the properties.

“Ramee Group is also planning to venture out exclusively to the management contracting industry and will ensure a “win-win” objective to both parties while promising guaranteed capital returns. Ramee Group is searching for a city five-star hotel together with a five-star beach resort on either a rental or management basis,” Shetty added.

The group – which has a portfolio of 38 properties under its management in the Gulf and India – is also venturing into the
five-star hotel segment with the first property set to open doors in the next quarter in Bahrain. The new project will attract family
tourists as well as MICE travellers to Bahrain. The strategy is focused on the business traveller and on increasing family tourism,
particularly from within the GCC.

When the doors of Ramee Grand Hotel and Spa opens in the third quarter, it will be the tallest five-star hotel in the Kingdom with
166 keys, housing seven food and beverage outlets, a ballrooms, breakout meeting rooms, spa & recreation, fitness centre, a ladies saloon and a temperature controlled infinity pool.

“The next Ramee Grand Hotel & Spa is on the drawing board for Dubai’s much sought-after Business Bay District, together with another project in Abu Dhabi’s Reem Island,” Shetty added.

The Group, according to Shetty, aims to have 50 hotels by the end of next year by adding another 12 properties in it fold in the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC), India, Iraq, Morocco and other prospective places around the world. The group is looking at properties in Indian cities of Indore, Madras and Pune.

Shetty said three to four deals are on the table for negotiations.

“Ramee Group always embraces the competition. Our passion towards personalised guest service is our greatest strength.  We look forward to the growing opportunities in the GCC as the region is witnessing continued sustainable development,” he added.

Despite slowdown and layoffs in the equity, banking and property sectors, the hotel industry has been fairing well in the UAE, thanks to the increased flow of tourists. Dozens of new hotels and resorts will open their doors this year in the UAE, also creating well more than 3,000 jobs in the UAE.